Phototherapy

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applications

Intense visible light is used in treating newborns’ jaundice, a disease characterized by the accumulation of the pigment bilirubin in the bloodstream during the first few days of life. Since wavelengths of 420–480 nanometres absorbed in the skin expedite detoxification and elimination of the pigment, the affected infant is bathed in visible light for 12–24 hours in treating the...

founding by Finsen

Danish physician, founder of modern
phototherapy (the treatment of disease by the influence of light), who received the 1903 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for the application of light in the treatment of skin diseases.

treatment of psoriasis

...vitamin D, work by slowing skin cell reproduction, whereas others, such as corticosteroids, coal-tar ointment, and salicylic acid, work by reducing inflammation. Psoriasis can also be treated with
phototherapy, in which the skin is exposed to ultraviolet light. While
phototherapy can be highly effective, it does have side effects, including pain, irregular pigmentation, and scarring. In...

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